Venice is the most wonderful place and I took an awful lot of photos. The above is detail from the houses along the Grand Canal.

I loved capturing reflections and these are some of those I lucked upon – you have to catch the canals without traffic and that’s not easy in a city that has no cars so everyone walks or boats:

These next photos are the same place – one is a what is above the water and the other the reflection. I just love laundry hanging out to dry and Italy is laundry heaven!

Just to prove I can get up early. These photos are from a walk along the Grand Canal at dawn just as the sun came up. You won’t catch St Marks’s square empty like this at any other time of the day:

Gondolas are one method of transport in Venice but not the only one. Vaporetti are public ferries and they go up and down the Grand Canal and around the lagoon. The Vaporetto stops are floating barges with yellow strips so they’re easy to see. Some stops have barges for each direction, some stops the same barge works for both:

Gondolas go where you want them to go – they’re expensive and only 2 of the 6 seats are actually side by side and sitting back, the rest are upright and look pretty damn uncomfortable if you ask me.

Traghetti go across the Grand Canal. Because there are are only 3 bridges in around 2miles of Grand Canal sometimes you have to get across it where there isn’t a bridge. A traghetto is the answer – it is cheap to ride – the catch is that you stand up – not for the faint of heart. There are traghetto stations at intervals along the canal.

At one side of the Rialto Bridge there is a huge market each morning where people go to buy food for the day. Here are some images from early morning at the Rialto markets.

This is detail from St Mark’s Basilica:

Ever wondered how UPS, FedEx and DHL deliver in a city with no cars – check this out – DHL boat delivery service:

V for Venice or V for Vendetta – you choose:

Graffiti Venice style:

Lion detail from Victor Emmanuel equestrian statue – Grand Canal:

Grand Canal and minor canal photos:

That’s it for today.

Helen Bradley